An Unexpected Lesson From Peyton Manning

Recently this strange picture of NFL QB Peyton Manning went viral:

What exactly is he doing?  Why does he have only one ankle in a pool, and why is he wearing a helmet?

The answer speaks volumes, even to those of us who only dream of playing in the NFL.

For starters, Peyton Manning is the best at what he does.

He is a Super Bowl winner, and without question a first ballot Hall-of-Famer.  He is an instantly recognizable “face of the League” to many, and represents all that is good about the NFL.  In a league filled with controversies regarding player safety, criminal acts by players, cheating  scandals, etc., he has consistently represented the positive ‘All-American’, ‘clean-cut’  side of football.  He is a polite, humble, well-mannered guy who has consistently not only stayed out of trouble, but benefited many a worthy cause.

He is still at the top of his game after a neck injury that many thought would either end or severely impact his prolific career.  Yet he has emerged in having what is perhaps his best year as a pro.

The point of saying all that is this – it didn't just happen that way.  It took some serious effort and determination.

But back to that strange picture.

This photograph of Peyton Manning was taken during a Broncos practice.  Having sustained an ankle injury, Peyton had to sit out of practice.  His official listing was “did not participate”.

Unable to participate physically, he chose to participate mentally.  He couldn't be on the field, but he could be active. He chose to keep his injured ankle in the “cold tub” in the team training room, and wear his helmet to listen in on practice and the plays that were called on the headset, while simultaneously studying game film on a tablet.

This is the guy who leads the league with 45 touchdowns.  His team has the best record in the NFL (11-2).  He has been a starting NFL QB since 1998.

These numbers didn’t come because he’s just ‘that good’.  It appears to be because of his attitude, and using even down moments to improve his craft instead of resting on his laurels.  This picture reflects a multi-tasking intensity that we could all apply to our life, whatever it is that we do.  Do I pray with this determination? Do I apply it to my work or home life? Embrace this intensity, and strive to be a better husband, a better parent, better employee, a better driver, a better writer, a better friend.  The list is extensive and personal.

In education, we often speak of the desire to see students become “lifelong learners”.  I think Peyton Manning in this candid moment is a perfect model of that.  A guy who continues to perfect his craft and keep his mind sharp on a day he could easily just do nothing and still keep his job and still be one of the best. No one but him would really know the difference. Right?

So to answer the question, what is he doing?

He’s doing exactly what I should be doing.

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Unqualified: The Story of Amos

When we are seeking God in the Scriptures, we often instinctively turn to the Gospels or to the Psalms. But much wisdom can be found in a section few of us rarely turn to called the “minor prophets”.

Really? who would want to be called a “minor prophet”?

It sounds rather derogatory.

I mean, would you rather play in the Major Leagues or the Minors?

The truth is that these prophets are called “minor” merely because they wrote smaller amounts of material than say, Isaiah or Jeremiah, and it has nothing to do with being less important than the others.

Among these “minors” is the book of Amos. But in spite of being “minor”, he has a very significant message. In fact, the book of Amos was even a favorite of Martin Luther King, “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” (5:24).

Amos was unique among the prophets, and he is a guy I think many of us can relate to. To start with, he was admittedly not your standard prophet material.

“I was not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’” (Amos 7:14-15)

Like Shakespeare wrote, “Some are born great….and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em”.

But clearly his heart and mind were ready. He was out in the field working his job, God called him elsewhere, and he went about fulfilling the call.

He had no seminary training, no ministry experience, no public speaking seminars, no qualifications, no expert references, no previous prophet work, no famous prophets in his family.

What he did have was the call of God. And it turns out that’s all he needed.

The name Amos means “burden-bearer”, and Amos indeed carried a heavy burden. He was called from his native sheep-herding lifestyle into the nation of Israel, where he pronounced very unpopular prophecies of judgment to the King and leaders.

He knew he was called of God, but they saw him as...well...unqualified.

He pointed out their oppression of the poor (5:11-13), dishonesty in business (8:4-6), selfish indulgence (6:4-7), and their idolatrous worship (5:21-27).

Not sunshine and roses kind of stuff.

Keep in mind that things in Israel were good! Very good! Israel at the time was a very prosperous nation, and archaeological evidence proves that the reign of Jeroboam was the most prosperous the nation had known. and few were interested in hearing such a “doom and gloom” message in good times. Especially from an out-of-town guy who just came off the farm.

Amos was an average guy chosen by God to leave what he knew, to walk out in the public and speak a very unpopular message.

Although Amos ends his prophecy with a hopeful vision of the future, he is the first prophet to predict the captivity of Israel and God’s punishment upon His chosen people (4:4, 5:21-24). We know historically that this prophecy came to pass years later.

He even went so far as to accurately predict the end of the King's royal lineage.

His prophecies contained pretty bad scenarios regarding their behavior and apathy, and they were all based in the truth of God. Yet the priests and the leaders, instead of listening and repenting, chose to complain about him and simply wanted him gone (7:10-11).

Why?

Because they were qualified, and he was not.

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As One With Authority

“even as You gave Him authority over all flesh” (John 17:2)

Authority.

The ministry of Jesus was one of authority, and this concept was the cornerstone of all He said and did. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached what is often referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount”. It was here that He laid the groundwork of who He was and what He was all about. After hearing Him, the Bible states that the people were “amazed”, “for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:29). The real question here is why didn’t their scribes teach with authority? Weren’t they the authority of their day? Weren’t they the ones responsible for bringing the laws of God to the people? Weren’t they the ones who were supposed to have the answers to theological questions?

Of course they were.

What then made Jesus so different?

It should be noted that early on Jesus was generally considered as one among many rabbis. John the Baptist, from a family of priests, would have been considered a rabbi as well. In Jewish culture, these rabbis were teachers who gathered disciples around themselves and taught the law as they had been taught it. These men were well-known, respected, and had great influence. But never, under any circumstance, did even the greatest rabbi make a claim to change a commandment, adapt a teaching of Scripture, or give a new teaching. Their job was to interpret, explain, give commentary, lend wisdom, and call to action; not to create.

In their teachings they would avoid error and draw their authority by quoting from someone considered above themselves, by using a phrase such as “the Scripture says”, or “Rabbi so-and-so once said”, or “the doctors of the law say”. They typically kept their topics to matters close to previous writings and teachings.

Jesus spoke differently. Much differently.

He spoke on matters that deeply affect every aspect of how we live, what we live for, and how we interact both with one another and with God.

He said things like, “I have come to fulfill the law”.

He said things like, “you have heard. . . but now I tell you . . .”

He said things like, “whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”

He said things like, “do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”.

So while others of His day were often adding more and more and more complicated details and demands to the law, He was simplifying it. While His contemporaries were writing volumes of rules that were to be followed to the minutest detail, he was saying “Love God, love people”.

The very word ‘authority’ has its root in the word ‘author’. One who writes. One who creates.

An author is the highest expert on a book, because he is the one who wrote the book. He knows every word and syllable. Who can claim to know a book better than the author who wrote it?

Jesus was writing the book before their eyes. And unlike anyone they had ever seen or heard before, Jesus alone appeared to have the authority to do so. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus claims to have authority to cast out demons, to heal sickness, to control natural forces, and furthermore claims the ability to pass this authority on to others (see Matthew 9:6 and Matthew 10:1). If that wasn’t enough, he claims the authority to forgive sin, an authority reserved for God alone (see Mark 2:10). Not even the High Priest claimed this degree of authority for himself. This was all unheard of, and well outside the bounds of any typical teacher of the law.

And this was unacceptable.

Essentially, by claiming this authority, Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of prophecy, including Daniel’s prophecy recorded in Daniel 7:14 -

14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”

Jesus was claiming to be the promised Messiah, God incarnate, and everyone knew it.

But not everyone liked it.

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